Doubling apparatus for metal sheets or plates.



0'. W.. BRAY. DOUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS OB. PLATES.

APPLIGATIOX FILED NOV. 17, 1905.

Patented Dec.22,1908.

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G. W. BRAY. DOUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS 0R PLATES.

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0. W. BRAY. DOUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS 0R PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1905.

907,122. Patented Dec.'22,1908.

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'0. w. BRA Y. DQUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS OR PLATES. APPLICATION FILED NOV 17, 1905.

I 902122. I Patented Dec.22,1908.

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WITNESSES G. W. BRAY. DOUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS on PLATES. APPLIOATIOI TILED NOV. 17, 1905.

907,122. A Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. BRAY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DOUBLING APPARATUS FOR METAL SHEETS 0R PLATES.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. BRAY, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Doubling Apparatus for Metal Sheets or Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the doubling apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan view; Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing my improvements applied to apparatus in which the metal passes through the doubling machine in the opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating that my centering and squaring device may be used, irrespective of the direction of feed; Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail view showing in end elevation the squaring-up devices; and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the centering stops and carriages.

The purpose of my invention is to provide improved apparatus for doubling metal plates such as are used for tinning, and to enable the plate to be doubled more accurately and symmetrically than has heretofore been possible.

My invention is an improvement upon the doubling apparatus shown in Letters Patent No. 695,873, granted to me March 18, 1902.

My present invention comprises means by which the plates or sheets to be doubled are centered regardless of their length, so that the doubling mechanism will always act upon them exactly at the middle line. This is important, because, as the metal plates are delivered to the rolling apparatus at varying temperatures, the length of the packs will vary somewhat and the stop mechanism heretofore employed does not, with unvarying accuracy center the packs in the doubling mechanism.

My invention also comprises means by which, in case individual sheets of the pack become loose or displaced relatively to each other, they can be accurately matched and the pack squared at right angles to the doublingrolls.

My invention also comprises means by which the plates are held during the retraction of the doubling plunger, so as to prevent in all cases the sticking of the plates to the plunger which sometimes results in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 17, 1905.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908'.

Serial No. 257,755.

the withdrawing of one or more of the plates from the pack when the plunger is retracted.

Referring now to the drawings, 2-2 represent the rollers of a feed table by which the metal pack to be doubled is carried to the doubling apparatus.

3 is the doubling plunger which is mounted in suitable guides and is reciprocated by mechanism which may consist of an eccentric or crank 1. This plunger is adapted to enter the pass of a pair of rolls 55, which as shown in the drawings, are in horizontal position and are backed by springs 6-6, which hold them yieldingly together. I prefer also to employ in line with the rolls 5 a second set of rolls 7-7, which are likewise backed by springs 6.

88 are feeding-in pinch-rollers by which the pack is fed over the table 9 into posi tion opposite the plunger 3, and 10-10 are stripping rolls, which are set at a slight ele vation above the table, so that the pack, when fed to the machine, will pass between the rolls 10 and the table.

For the purpose of centering the pack, so that its middle line will be directly opposite to the doubling plunger 3, I employ movable centering stops ll, 12, which are mounted on carriages 13, the stop 11 being pivoted at 14 so as to allow it to yield to permit feeding the pack into the machine. These stops are moved preferably by gearing 15, engaging racks on the carriages, the gearing of the respective carriages being connected by a sprocket-chain or suitable connection 16. s

The shaft of one of the gear wheels 15 is provided with a hand-wheel or other actuating mechanism 17, by which it may be retated, and by reason of the connection between the gear wheels, the rotation of one will cause the rotation of the other and the motion of the stops towards or from each other, to an equal extent. Therefore, if the bite of the rolls 5-5 is arranged so that it will be exactly central between the stops 11--12 at any position of the latter, the same central position will be maintained, no matter to what extent the stops are caused to approach or recede from each other.

In order to enable the stop 11 to pass to the rear of the rollers 88 and thus to engage the rear end of the pack, as it is delivered from the rolls, I divide the upper roller 8, making it of two sections which are separated at the middle, as shown in Fig. 2,

so as to afford an intervening vertical gap through which the stop 11 may travel. The machine may be equipped with squaring mechanism such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and hereinafter described, for squaring the individual sheets of the pack in case they should become displaced relatively to one another, and to bring the pack itself into position directly at right angles to the rolls.

In the operation of the machine, the pack to be doubled is fed by the rollers 88 onto the table 9, and beneath the stripping rollers 10, and then the carriages 13 are caused to approach after they have been separated to a sufficient extent to bring the stop 11 back of the end of the pack. The approach of the carriages brings the stops l0 and 11 into contact with the pack and centers the pack accurately on the table of the machine. The plunger 3 is then caused to descend and to engage'the middle of the pack, forcing it between the rollers 55 which are driven by suitable gearing 17, and the doubled sheet is finally delivered from the rolls and may be carried away by any suitable mechanism. When the plunger engages the pack and enters it between the rolls, the ends of the pack tend to close together and to grip the plunger between them, so that when it is attempted to retract the plunger, it may stick to the inner sheet of the pack with sufiicient firmness to separate the pack bydrawing out one or more sheets with it. To prevent this I employ the strippers 10, 10 (preferably rollers) which hold the ends of the pack down against the table and prevent them from closing in upon the plunger and thus enable the plunger to be retracted without difficulty. Another advantage which I derive from the use of the stripping rollers 10l0, is that, as the doubled pack is drawn inwardly by the doubling rolls, the engagement of the rollers 10-10 with the outer surface of the pack exerts upon the pack an opening eitect due to the slipping of one sheet upon the other, as it passes in a curve from under the rollers into the bite of the doubling rolls.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I show a modification of the machine, in which the doubling plunger 3 moves in an opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 1 when entering the pack between the doubling rolls. In this case, the use of the stripping rollers 10, 10 is unnecessary, as the table itself acts to prevent the pack from closing in upon the plunger. In this figure I also show the doubling plunger operated by hydraulic cylinders 4 instead of by the eccentric 4. The doubling rolls 5, 7 are constructed and arranged as shown in Fig. 1, except that they are above the doubling plunger instead of below it. This figure, as well as Figs. 4 and 5, show more in detail the construction of the centering stops and their character. They also show the side matching devices,

' which I will now describe.

The side matching devices comprise guides 18 which are at the sides of the table of the machine, and extend at right angles to the doubling rolls. They are adapted to be moved laterally toward and from each other in suitable guides by means of suitable mechanism which, as shown in Fig. 5, may consist of levers 19, operated by suitable connections from a hand-lever 20 or other device. The lever mechanism of the two guides 18, being connected, causes the guides to move oppositely relatively to each other, and to an equal extent. It will be understood that the same result can be accomplished, but with less advantage, by fixing one of the guides and moving the other.

When the pack is first delivered to the table of the machine, the side guides 18 are caused to approach and engaging the lateral edges of the pack, match the individual sheets accurately, and also square up the pack at right angles to the doubling rolls. After this, the centering devices above mentioned are caused to approach so as to center the pack endwise. This centering device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the stops 11 and 12 extend upwardly from below the pack, instead of downwardly from above the same. In Fig. 4 I show the carriages on which the stops are carried, as being operated by hydraulic cylinders 21 through a connection 22 and gearing and shafting 23, which are connected with pinions 15 by which the racks of the carriages are engaged.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the parts may be modified in many ways without departing from my invention, since Vhat I claim is:

1. A doubling mechanism for metal plates having feed rolls, one of the rolls being di vided to permit passage of a stop, and a reciprocating stop, substantially as described.

2. In doubling apparatus for metal plates, a doubling mechanism, feed mechanism, a stop between the feed mechanism and the doubler, and connections for reciprocating the stop to a point back of the rear edge of the sheet; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES W. BRAY,

V'Vitnesses:

GEORGE H. SONNEBORN, H. M. CORWIN. 

